Online Artfest Pics

I posted so many pics they wouldn't all fit on one page so look under recent posts to see them all! Enjoy!

This is the mess left in my work space! Yikes! I was cleaning it as I went, but eventually I gave up and just let it go! Guess what I will be doing later tonight? 

This is all the art I have created in the last 48 hours at the online artfest.

Retiform #1. I learned about making art using a Retiform technique this weekend. It's a wonderful technique and I know I will continue to experiment with it.  

Retiform #2 

Retiform #3 

Retiform #4 

Artfest online

So if you are wondering about the rash of art postings below, they are all things I have made in the last 24 hours at the Online Artfest. I am having a ball and winning some prizes too. It's kind of crazy. I am making art from the classes online and so I am bouncing between my workspace and the computer. I am beginning to think I need roller blades to help me go back and forth faster!

Anyway, I am sure there will be a few more pictures before it wraps up at 9 p.m. PST. (Which is midnight EST.) I am working my butt off but having so much fun!! Come check the whole thing out here if you're curious.

My Altered Clip Board. I really enjoyed making this. I found mini clip boards at the dollar store and raced home to make this! 

My ATC box I made last night. 

Inside the ATC box. 

The Tag Challenge was to make a tag that reflected you. This was mine. 

We had a bunch of ATC challenges. Celine would tell us what to use on our ATC then we would go make one. The first ATC was with wings. 

An ATC with a crown. 

An ATC using a vintage image. 

Online Fun!

Tonight Correspondance Art is having an online Art Fest in their forum. It runs this evening and then tomorrow all day. It's something new they are doing and I think it will be fun. I am not exactly sure how it all works, but the idea is that projects will be posted and then people can log in and see what they are and work on them. So I figured I would give it a whirl. (I mean any excuse to make art is a good one!!)

Congrats are in order for my friend Tracy Roos for her hugely successful Polariod Magic Using Ink Jet Transfers class! It was a hit and the talk of the event. YAY Tracy!

Live and Learn

So last night I was watching TV and decided to prep some microscope slides to make some soldered pieces. I had 1/4 inch copper tape but it seemed too wide. No problem! I'll just trim it a bit and I'll be good to go.

I trimmed it and applied it to the slide, carefully burnishing it down to get a good seal. Afterwards, I realized my right index finger was throbbing. Turns out I can cut it to ribbons and never even noticed. I guess when I trimmed the copper tape, I created a rough, sharp edge that slit my fingertip open over and over.

It hurts, being in a rather bad spot where all the little nerve endings are. Heaven only knows how long it's going to take to heal. So..if anyone else is contemplating doing the same thing, don't. It's painful. :(

*Note to self: Never trim copper tape. It's *SO* not worth it.

In the Works

It's been a busy week so far. Yesterday I had some errands to run and then I spent the remainder of the day piecing together my Zine for Sunday's trunk show. It was a bit of work sewing the signatures together, but I am pleased with how it came out. I hope people will find it useful and interesting.

In the meantime, I have posted a couple of pics of The Book of Naughty. As soon as I can update my website, I will add more to the Collaborative book page. I have The Book of Naughty and another "book" to share with everyone. I also plan to add some new ATCs, more books to the Reading list and a couple of new links as well. Lots in the works! I have a running list so I don't forget anything.

I am also gearing up to work on another collaborative book with my friend Penn. This time she is hosting and the theme is going to be alphabet. We both are alpha crazy and have been dying to do a book on it, so she decided to bite the bullet and go for it. It's going to be really cool since we will be working in a colour pallet I love. I can't wait to get started!!

Well, I guess that's it for now. I have several projects calling my name, so I had better go dive in!

Just a quick little card I made for my friend Kelly to thank her for helping me move my website to a .com and get it up and running again. 

At long last, The Book of Naughty! The picture on the right is the front cover and the one on the left is the back cover. The words were printed on acitate and lay over the artwork on the cover.  

Sunday

I am off to the ATC swap soon. Looking forward to seeing people's reaction to the Book of Naughty when they get it today. (The local players, anyway.) It's going to be a beautiful day today-the sun is out and the sky is blue. Perfect day to go downtown and visit with friends!

I just posted a pic of the Travel mug I made for myself. It was so much fun and quick to make. I think I might buy a few more to give as gifts, as the spirits move me. There was an article about them in the February issue of Somerset Studios magazine which is what made me aware you could buy blank mugs. I had no idea but had thought about it a time or two-I have 4 Starbuck's travel mugs. I keep buying them because I love the art in them. Now I can just make my own!! That ROCKS!

Anyhoo, I can't wait to see everyone today and talk art. It's always a very good time. Penn is planning on launching a new collaborative book project today and I am excited. She already asked me if I wanted to play and I said YOU BETCHA! I love doing these books!

I have been saving all my original pages that I make for the collaborative book projects and I think I am going to coil them all at the end of the year and make a unique original art book of my own. Otherwise, what am I going to do with them all? So far there are several pages in different sizes, but that's okay. I will just make the book large enough to fit the largest page and then just fit the smaller ones in. It will be cool to see what I end up with by the year's end.

Yesterday I had a fun 10 minutes making this travel mug for myself based on an ATC I made that I love. The cool thing is that when I get bored with it, I can open it up, pull this image out and make a whole new one. Perpetual amusement! LOL! (Anyone who knows me knows I change icons and desktop themes, etc. constantly!) 

3 atcs I made for Sunday's swap using pictures I took. I know some people are not keen on photo ATCs, but I really love these photos I took and I am satisfied with how the ATCs came out.

TGIF!

Well it's been a productive last couple of days and come Monday I will have some cool things to share with you. Not the least of which will be the completed Book of Naughty, which is just awaiting the final touches. YAY!!!

I have also managed to get my pages for another collaborative book hosted by my friend Celine almost finished. Her theme is "Once Upon a Time" and it's using images from her collage sheets. (If you want to see her collage sheets, there are here.) This project is not due till mid-March, so I am ahead of the game!

I am also working on samples using Paper Artsy's new rubber. I have a couple items done and a few more percolating in my imagination.

My friend Penn is printing my Zine handout for my altered art trunk show next week. I will get the copies on Sunday and put the finishing touches on them on Monday.

Tomorrow I just need to make/finish this month's ATCs tomorrow so I will have something to swap Sunday. I have them half done.

All in all, it's been a creatively fruitful week!

Book Alert!!

When I got home from the lines today, there on the door step was a parcel from Jan with my copy of the second book I made art for, Altered Board Books Basics and Beyond. It's really great-as nicely done as the first one, The Art of Fabric Books. C&T did a fantastic job of photographing the board books and the layout is really great. Jan's writing is really informative-there's lots of instruction on how-to if altering board books is something you are new to and lots of great tips on trying new things if you are not. Either way, it's a great book and I am so pleased to have been a part of it. Congrats Jan!!

Also, Jan has her website up and running if any of you are interested in taking a peek. I will be adding her to my links page on my website as soon as I get a chance.

Okay I'm going to go oogle my copy of the book again! *grin*

O Canada Journal

I received this journal today after signing up for the project on N'ness. The owner is a Canadian living overseas who wanted a journal to remind her what's so great about Canada. I have posted the pictures I took of the work I did in the journal today. It was alot of fun and relaxing to work on. Off it goes in the mail tomorrow!!

My first spread is the rant "I am Canadian" from TV. 

This spread was about one of my favourite places, Stanley Park. The three images on the right hand page are more of my photographs. 

Using pictures I took of my garden this summer, I did a spread about the natural beauty of my city. 

Canadianisms just for fun. 

Mail Call!!

Yesterday was an exceedingly good mail day. I received 5 envelopes, none of them containing bills. All art!! I received some ATCs for a project I am doing, some jam card returns and a design team kit from the rubber stamp company I am doing samples for. (Paper Artsy out of the UK.)

In addition to that, there were some presents that I have posted pictures of below. I love when good things come in the mail!! YAY!

Marbled papers made by the very talented Angie. I LOVE them! We swapped for some ephemera I had. I am going to use some of her papers in a shrine I am planning to make and I would like to use some in some jewellery. I think this is a technique I would love to learn-the results are amazing!

I did a swap on N'ness that was altering a canvass purse. This is the purse I recived back. The little purple flowers are actually beaded and dangle from the mauve ribbon. It's so cute. 

The beaded spirit doll that was inside my canvass purse. It's about 2 inches x 1 inch and beaded on both sides. Beautiful! 

Buttons!

My sweet friend Tracy Roos is having a promotion on her website. She has made these cool art buttons that she is giving away free with a purchase. To find out more, click on her journal. Of course being the button junkie that I am, I had to order so I can have one! I have uploaded a couple of pics of some of the little buttons I have in my collection. I have no idea why I like them so much, I just do!

It's kind of funny how we get to collecting things. I like things that remind me of happy times or just old things that have a history. I admit I am a sentamentalist through and through. I can't bear to toss away things that have meaning to me. That's one thing I really enjoy about visiting someone's home. I can look around and see what really matters to them. I am always interested in why they collect what they do.

Some of the things I adore are:
-antique Raggedy Anne's
-1950's robots
-1 inch buttons (pins)
-kewpie dolls
-old buttons (celluloid, bakealite, mother of pearl)
-wooden spools (for thread)
- folk art angels

Anyway, I would add more, but I have to dash off to teach my AB class now! Catcha later!

This is one of my favourite little 1' buttons. It's kind of quilty.